Newsbusters: Dan Rather, former anchor of the CBS Evening News, appeared on CNN’s Reliable Sources to harshly criticize those in Congress calling for the U.S. to take military action against the terrorist group ISIS.
Speaking to anchor Brian Stelter on Sunday, August 24, Rather proclaimed that he will only listen to those who advocate boots on the ground “if you tell me you are prepared to send your son, your daughter, your grandson, your granddaughter to that war of which you are beating the drums.”
The disgraced former CBS anchor began his rant by declaring that regarding ISIS “the war drums have been beating along the Potomac for some little while, accentuated in recent weeks and now in recent days.” Rather continued by insisting on the need to “do something about ISIS” but slammed those calling for direct military intervention:
“My first question to anyone who is on television saying, we have to get tough, we need to put boots on the ground and we need to go to war in one of these places is, I will hear you out if you tell me you are prepared to send your son, your daughter, your grandson, your granddaughter to that war of which you are beating the drums. If you aren’t, I have no patience with you, and don’t even talk to me.“
As the segment continued, Stelter lamented that individuals would dare call for using U.S. resources to destroy ISIS and turned to a familiar liberal talking point, the Iraq War:
“It worries me that I hear so many more voices on television that are advocating for action than I do hear voices of people who are trying to push on the brakes, push on the brakes. And it is somewhat reminiscent of 2002 and 2003 in the run-up to what was a, of course, much, much bigger U.S. military action in Iraq than anything that is being contemplated now.”
Unsurprisingly Rather, who was fired from CBS for running a fake attack story on President Bush’s service in the Texas Air National Guard, eagerly agreed with the CNN host to close out the segment:
“We have a lot to answer for about what we didn’t do and what we did do in the run-up to the war in Iraq, which I think history will judge to be a strategic disaster of historic proportions. We journalists, including this one, we didn’t ask the right questions. We didn’t ask enough questions. We didn’t ask the follow- up questions. We did not challenge power. And I am concerned that, once again, as the war drums begin to beat and get louder and louder, that there will be a herd mentality of saying, well, we have to go to war in Syria, we have to go to war Ukraine.”
Here’s a couple of questions for Mr. “Fake But Accurate”:
- Aren’t soldiers who sign up adults who can decide for themselves if they want to serve?
- Are parents forced “send” their children to war?
- What about the people who don’t have children? Are they not allowed an opinion?
Here’s a story Mr. “Fake But Accurate” won’t share with you: When my soldier was in Afghanistan, he and other soldiers had to go outside the wire. The reason? Mr. “Fake But Accurate” had left a bag at Kabul and needed it brought to him. The number of children who risked their lives to retrieve his bag?
- My soldier and his gunner
- Six US soldiers who drove MRAPs (one in front and one behind of my soldier’s vehicle)
- Rather’s two assistants
- The CBS employee who drove the bag from Kabul for the rendezvous
So I ask you, Mr. “Fake But Accurate”, how many children’s lives did you risk when they had to go outside the wire to retrieve your precious leather bag? Answer: NONE OF YOUR OWN CHILDREN.
Sanctimonious jerk.
DCG
P.S. My soldier jokes about retrieving Rather’s “shorts”.
P.S.S. The assistants kept insisting it was his Viagra that was in the bag :)
